


Raining Fire

by jeffgangfan



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, M/M, Tartarus Strikes!AU, angsty, because of finals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 05:39:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3924925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeffgangfan/pseuds/jeffgangfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy and Nico was running from monsters sent after them. The Demigods had lost the war and they had no where to hide. Nico was hearing ringing sounds in his ears, like every time someone died.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Raining Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, Rick does.
> 
> My friend: awkwardsleepyhead is my dear beta.

“We should be safe here,” Percy said, wiping away the beads of sweat on his forehead. The air was full of sulfur. Nico snorted as it was a ridiculous thing to say, considering their situation now. Nowhere was safe for them, the demigods had lost the War.

To think they had ran out of immortal enemies to defeat was undeniably ignorant. Without Apollo’s gift of prophecy, no one could have seen the peril of Tartarus looming over the horizon. The pit managed to capture Morpheus and Hecate without fail. He forced Morpheus to create nightmares about the horror of the damned pit, using them as tools to inflict fear and hatred both in mortals’ and demigods’ minds. The god incited the humans to start a genocide on demigods after Hecate had been forced to rip the Mist apart, therefore, revealing the mythical world to the governments and military forces.

Tartarus also brainwashed his children with the power of other gods to eliminate any possibility of betrayal. Giants and Titans were made to follow his orders like soulless machines.

Too many had died already.

To the horror of very few survivors, Tartarus revived Gaea after having wreaked havoc to Earth’s ecosystem. The goddess destroyed the entire human race in her wrath that it resulted in Earth being almost impossible to live in.

Believe it or not, Nico had asked the Goddess of Earth if her new appearance, Earth’s new appearance was what she wanted. Gaea, in her dress of ash and her hair fiery and lava running through her veins, answered no.

Most of the Olympians were dead, a few of them managed to escape the destruction. Nico didn’t care about them, he only cared about his friends, whose regrets and unsaid farewells were ringing in his ears as they drew out their last breaths. He cared about his sister, whom he hadn’t seen or contacted for months.

Now he and Percy had retreated into this cave, desperate for a few minutes of this deceitful tranquility. They were too weary to keep on fighting against the army of monsters and giants sent after them. Sulfur in the air and meteors raining down on them had deadened their optimism. His optimism, maybe.

“I wonder what did the dinosaurs do?” Percy asked as he handed Nico the bottle. Nico quirked an eyebrow - he didn’t see what dinosaurs have to do with their situation. “I mean, this is not so different from that time when dinosaurs went extinct because of an asteroid and climate change. Did they piss off Tartarus or what?”

“You little…” he thumped his fist on Percy’s chest lightly, a small smile creeping on his face. The green-eyed choked out a laugh; his arms enveloped Nico into an embrace from behind as they sat down the stony wall of the cave. Their hiding place provided them with the coolness that had ceased to exist out there as the oceans were boiling with lava. 

Percy pressed a kiss to the back of Nico’s neck and tears welled up in Nico’s eyes.

Moments like this were killing him and keeping him alive at the same time.

“I want to live. I want to stay alive, Percy. So bad.” A single tear trailed down his face and Nico quickly wiped it away, in attempt to hide his sudden feeling of weakness.

As if able to read his boyfriend’s mind, Percy buried his nose into the crook of Nico’s shoulder. He whispered against the ratty fabric of Nico’s black shirt, breath burning the material.

“You’re my hero. My little brave hero. Of course you will survive.”

Nico should have looked in Percy’s eyes then. He would have seen the uncertainty and dread in Percy’s dull eyes. He wished for Nico to survive, but a part of him knew that it was hardly possible.

“Sometimes I feel like I hate staying alive.” Nico tried to regain his composure through his voice, which Percy could tell for sure.

“You’ve been through hell, Nico. If I were you, I would have given up the ghost long ago,” Percy tried and Nico chuckled. It was almost impossible for the sound of laughter to resemble too much that of despair.

“Two metaphors at the same time. How can I possibly put up with you?” Nico knew he wouldn’t be able to tell Percy that they were going to die very soon now. The ringing in his ears was getting louder and louder. He had heard it from the moment he entered this cave.

“There’s still hope, Nico.” Percy laced their fingers together. He was replied with, “Not for us,” and the resignation in it was eating Percy away.

Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, and Hera. They were the hope for the creation of a new world that would strive to defeat Tartarus and win. Hera was capable of giving birth to incredible possibilities herself, despite them not being beautiful or whatsoever.

“At least,” Nico drew in a sharp breath, his voice wavering and eyes glue to the ceiling. “I have no regrets. Do you?” He was lying. Nico had tons of regrets. But he knew there was nothing that could be done now.

Percy replied with another question. “You can feel it, can’t you? That we’re about to die.”

“It’s deafening.” Nico held his head between his slim hands, the paleness of his bony fingers stood out from his dark hair.

 

It felt like hours until Nico’s headache languished and when he looked up from his hands, Percy was lying down next to him, his back facing Nico. It could be that Percy had passed out from exhaustion or it could be that his back was just tired. Nico didn’t know if it was something wrong so he was about to check on Percy.

“Perseus?”

Something collided with the cave, causing the ground to shake violently. A cloud of dust slowly fell from above them after the first light rain of rocks. When Nico opened his eyes again, Percy was shielding him, blood trickled down from his new gash on his forearm. It was not at all a light rain of rocks because sharp boulders lay around them, the ceiling had become thinner and weaker.

Nico had to unwrap himself from Percy’s protective form, a little bit mad at himself that he couldn’t shield Percy first and squeezed Percy’s shoulder to assure him.

“Percy, we’re still here.”

“You know what?” Percy stepped away from the shorter demigod. “ You deserve happiness. You deserve a happy ending, just like everyone that I had failed. And I can’t give that to you nor can I give that to them. I’m sorry.”

Nico didn’t know what Percy was apologizing for but he knew that he should not question it because they were about to die, if that made Percy feel less terrible, Nico would not say anything.

Happiness didn’t last long enough for them. The War broke out three months after they had started hanging out. Percy and Nico both agreed on not labeling themselves and they hadn’t said “I love you” yet before they were completely sure of their feelings. Beautiful memories had been created together but Nico only knew he loved Percy when they fought side by side again, this time with no chance of winning. Percy was with him in the darkest moments, unlike in the past.

“Nico, I want to say that I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. And, thank you for being by my side and loving me because, I love you.”

The ringing was too loud. Nico felt the temperature increasing and failed to take in what Percy had said.

“What?”Percy finally said it. He said it first. So why shouldn’t Nico say it now?

“I said I love you. I’m sorry and thank you. I love you, Nico di Angelo.” Percy smiled. Nico braced himself because he knew that they would die right now since the ringing only got this loud when someone finally died. He had to say it, he had to say it before they died and got separated in the Underworld because that place was no longer ruled by his father.

“I love-”

Whatever that was about to kill them, finally crashed into the cave.

 

 

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Some legend said Hera has the ability to give birth to a god herself. She gave birth to Hephaetus without any help of males. There is a chance that she will do that again, giving birth to a new generation of god that could defeat Tartarus, now that she was in a safe place with Annabeth, Hazel and Piper.


End file.
